When To Resist Market Research

by smartamarketing

When To Resist Research

If managers become more aware of research approaches that are relatively inexpensive and relatively simple, they may do too much research, arguing that “- since the cost of the research can be kept so low, why don’t we go ahead and do the research anyhow?” Such why- not research can lead all too often to wasted research funds.

There are two major rules one should use in order to resist the urge to do unnecessary research:

The manager should resist the “research urge” if

(1) the research is not directly related to some decision to be made, and

(2) there is some reasonable degree of uncertainty as to the correct action to take.

The second danger in too much research is that attempts to do cheap but good research will quickly degenerate into the old faithful cheap and dirty research.

There are also a number of other situations when one should also be cautioned to avoid research.

1. A manager should resist doing research if it is really designed to bolster the manager’s personal insecurities.

2. The manager should resist research if it is designed only to provide ammunition to justify a decision to others in the organisation.

3. A manager should resist research designed just to check up on how things are going.

4. A manager should resist research that is, at base, a fishing expedition.

5. A manager should resist research that is designed to appeal to the manager’s curiosity.